"To Everything There is a Season" is a project with a life cycle of its own. It began with a 20 x 60 canvas created in the Fall of 2010 (which currently resides at the Baltimore-Washington Conference Center of the United Methodist Church) and continued with a second 20 x 60
canvas created in the Winter of 2011 (which currently resides at Wesley Freedom United Methodist Church). By the time I got to the Spring of 2011 the 20 x 60 canvases had increased in price for shipping so I used three 20 x 20 canvases. I painted the Summer Canvases in 2017.
Originally, I had envisioned the second part of this project as a series of hats. But the fascination with the fascinators sported at the royal wedding made me leery that it would appear that I lifted my inspiration right off of the heads of the wedding goers. Fast forward a few months and inspiration strikes again in the form of clothing. I was going to make small mannequins and then place them in shadow boxes and have the clothing flow from body to scene. Shortly after this, a friend's high end women's clothing store was going out of business.
Inspiration hit in the form of four mannequins (sans heads and arms) on adjustable stands.
I began Couture Seasons with Winter while an Artist in Residence with Sarah Gingold at Think Outside the Store. Once I stitched the first garment entirely by hand, I continued to do the same over the course of three years. The work was completed in time for the first showing in 2016 at the Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore.
This is part of the narrative for my Artist in Residence profile where the work for "Couture Seasons" began:
Lauren is a poly-artist. Her art is varied, including mixed media pieces and abstract paintings, but her primary art form is textile art. ...Over the summer “Couture Seasons: Winter” will take form stitch by stitch as she answers the question “How does God clothe the earth in each season?”
She speaks of her own work, “Whether begun with a biblical narrative or a thematic stance, my artwork is more expressive than literal. Color, shape, and texture--whether in lines of beads, strips of fabric, splashes or thick coats of manipulated paint--carry meaning and create interest.” The complexity of the season of winter will play out as this couture garment takes form on an ordinary mannequin. Using a variety of materials and a bit of wit and whimsy, she will stitch her way through the icy dreams of winter..."